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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: My wife has decided to end our marriage. Our children are grown and have moved on and it is true we have nothing in common any more. Our kids think we should enjoy the last years and experience a newness of life. Could they be right? – U.M.

 

Dear U.M.: Today the marriage vows have drastically changed, but for those who have been married a long time, most couples made the vow “until death us do part,” not “until divorce us do part.”

Tragically, marriages are falling apart at an unprecedented rate. Few think about vows made before God when they sign the final papers declaring the marriage dead.

Love has been redefined by Hollywood and every other entertainment outlet as a way to satisfy physical desires and feelings. But the Bible defines love as it was meant to be – beautiful and loyal. Read 1 Corinthians 13, known as the great love chapter, and learn how pleasing it is to love the way Christ commands.

Gardens don’t grow by themselves; they need to be tended and cultivated and weeded. The same is true of a marriage. A good marriage often consists of two good forgivers, and this is part of cultivating a strong relationship.

We must fight for our marriages through love, maturity, and selflessness. Marriage has its difficult moments: personality differences, life’s pressures, misunderstandings, etc., but when two people are committed to one another and to God, He will give guidance and wisdom. He can reignite love. The Bible says, “A threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12, NKJV). Make Christ the center of your marriage.

Newness of life, however, doesn’t start with marriage. It starts with a relationship with God and humbling ourselves before Him in obedience and commitment to Him, above all.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)